ACE

[ballies]

(pirate noises)

Comments

[ballies]

...

How is it your fault that my world apparently messed three of you up like this?

[selfimmolation]

... It just is. [ reluctantly. he feeds his little tamagotchi when it beeps. ] Shut up.

[ it's. directed at the tamagotchi, but like. fond. ]

[ballies]

[ (ai voice) beep boop ]

…

[ she will try to have a little look at his new friend? hello. ] Was this your AI-Ball?

[selfimmolation]

[ she can look! his little ai-ball friend is blue coded, with a top hat with goggles on top of its head. very steampunk-chic.

ace nods ]

Mmhmm. [ feeds the little ai a food ] ... It was my brother.

[ballies]

[ points.


she watches this little guy “eat” ]

Your brother? You said Luffy was there at ABIS though—?

[selfimmolation]

I had another one. Sabo. [ he's wearing a shirt, but he still taps his arm reflexively where the crossed out s is ] He died when we were kids.

[ballies]

[ oof. ]

Oh. I’m sorry. [ she frowns though. ] And that place made him your AI-Ball… is that cruel or weirdly kind of them?

[ because he’s looking at the AI-Ballie pretty fondly, but— y’know. dead sibling. ]

[selfimmolation]

[ there's an odd kind of smile on his face ]

Both? [ he shrugs ] ... He's ten forever and I'm not. That's it. [ it doesn't make full sense but it's fine. ]

[ballies]

"That's it" is never really that's it.

[ ... ]

... "Ten forever". So, that was how old he was when he died. [ ... that does feel cruel, yeah. but--- ] I've never met an AI modelled after someone. When it comes to imitations, there's bound to be more legal loops and morality issues compared to letting an AI develop into itself.

[ she's not sure what to make of this. ] Did you have to psync with him?

[selfimmolation]

[ please stop talking about the law and morality he's getting a headache ]

Uh... Yes? [ he doesn't sound sure ] He was linked with me?

[ballies]

[ ace your tech brain so so small. ]

No, uh— you’d know. You’d be using a machine. Hard six minute limit before you have to stop? You use it to looking into people’s subconsciousness.

[selfimmolation]

... We didn't go into anyone's brain, or anything like that. [ he sounds mostly sure. ] There were ... the mayor died. And we had to solve his murder. And there were balloons?

[ballies]

[ …..


she does look slightly uncomfortable at that. ]

Dotted around the city, leading to a clue or a location…?

[selfimmolation]

... Yeah. Linked to some... conspiracy cult thing. [ he frowns a little at her because it's-- well. it's memshare. it's weird that this might have been a version of that? ] ... Nimona, Sigrun and Hana had been reported missing. When we went, some hologram told us to come back at midnight. And we found them there, in the basement. Or-- whatever passed for a basement.

[ballies]

[ the whole thing is just making her frown as well. like a frown circle.

conspiracy cults, a — well. not a basement, she knows what that place is and if it was the same for them then…

wow imagine if there was an awkwardly timed memshare right now… wow…. imagine… ]

[selfimmolation]

[ COOL THANKS HE'S JUST KIND OF CLUTCHING AT HIS HEAD BREATHING A LITTLE HEAVILY BECAUSE HIS GRIP ON REALITY IS ON AND OFF ALREADY ]

That was--... The guy. The place. But it went... It went different. Than that. But he wanted... He was saying the same thing. Kill or we blow up.

[ballies]

[ YOU’RE WELCOME ZIA.

anyway, she grabs his shoulders (somewhere uninjured?? boy help you’re so fucked up) and gives them a squeeze. ]

Hey. You’re here, he’s not. And he won’t be getting anywhere near here because he’s dead.

[ clinical and factual. she can’t condone the murder of tearer, but she can’t help but understand it too. ] Everyone you saw there from here is okay. [ IGNORES NICK ]

[selfimmolation]

[ it's been a very long two weeks!!! ]

... I know. I know they're fine. [ there is a pause because ] I don't care about that guy.

[ alive or dead he is not worried about him??? ]

[ballies]

[ no fuckin' kidding.

yeah, but-- ]

Yeah, I figured. But you're kinda freaking out, and knowing no asshole's going to be blowing up the room you're in can be surprisingly reassuring. [ ... mumbling: ] I swear, Naixtaloz is going to be a thorn in so many sides until someone figures out a way to get them all arrested and shut down.

[selfimmolation]

I'm not... freaking out. [ defensive while still covering the seeing part of his face. after a little bit, he-- ] I wasn't going to kill anyone for him, so I... I tackled him and he blew us up. And then the whole place collapsed.

[ballies]

[ she's not doing the "don't call me cute" loop again, especially not when he's definitely not freaking out a little. so she does not acknowledge. ]

...

[ she can wait though. but, y'know-- ]

You tackled him?! [ oh my god. ]

[selfimmolation]

[ ... he sort of winces. ]

And he blew us up. But I--it was Luffy. I couldn't...

[ he did not even consider going along with the kill thing. is the thing. ]

[ballies]

[ ... ]

... The man Tearer asked Ryuki to shoot is someone he loves very much. [ and she saw the aftermath of what happened and how it affected him, so-- this isn't the same ground she's trodden before, but she's seen this kind of guilt before. ] Even if he went through the motions, he wouldn't have shot him. Whether I'd spoken up or not. There's no way.

[ she gets it. sort of. not down to the specifics, but that he just couldn't shoot. ]

Tearer blew up the cathedral afterwards. I don't think anyone blamed him for what happened. Whether you hesitate or not, the pressure's on you and it's your choice.

[selfimmolation]

[ sorry he's taken out of his own angst a bit by; ]

The cath--were we in a church.

[ballies]

[ :amen: ]

If the place looked the same? Then yes.

Naixatloz is a cult. They have two cathedrals under their Tokyo offices.